Al Franken Announces that he will run for Senate seat in Minnesota

His focus? The government’s job is to take away everyone’s insecurities about life so we have no fear or uncertainty about the future.

Last year I traveled all over the state of Minnesota on behalf of Tim and other Democrats: from Waseca and Wabasha up to Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes, over to Bemidji and the Iron Range, from Duluth down to Albert Lea, I was in Hastings and all over the metro, up in St. Cloud a few times, eating a lot of beans and buns and burgers and maybe a few too many Dairy Queens along the way. But most importantly, I talked to Minnesotans and listened.

They told me that they’re sick of politics as usual–and they’re sick of the usual politicians.

And I’ll tell you what else they told me. It’s different now than it was for me and Franni. When Franni’s sisters were using them to go to college, Pell Grants paid for 90% of a college education. Today, they pay for 40%. And President Bush, with the help of his Republican allies in Congress, have even tried to privatize Social Security. You should have heard Franni when they tried to do that.

It’s different for middle-class families, too. These families are being squeezed harder and harder every year. Maybe you know what it’s like to be one health crisis away from bankruptcy. Maybe you, or your parents or grandparents, can’t afford prescriptions. Maybe you have kids, and you’re worried about paying for their college. Maybe someone you love is in Iraq, and you don’t know how long they’ll have to stay there, or what will happen when they come home.

Middle-class families today struggle with that feeling of insecurity–the sense that things can fall apart without notice, outside of your control.

Your government should have your back. That should be our mission in Washington, the one FDR gave us during another challenging time: freedom from fear.

How does the US government protect everyone from fear? That sounds like code for the creation of a Nanny-state.

Update: Al is pretty sedate in his video and is even sympathetic as the discusses how his wife’s family struggled after the death of her father. But, I wonder how long it will be before hot-headed Al returns. Let’s not forget how out of control and angry he can get.